Collegium

A collegium (plural: collegia) was a civil or religious organization. The word is derived from the Latin collega; a partner, associate, or colleague. A collegium is literally the joining together of such individuals linked by a common interest or goal. In a civic context, collegia could be formed as any number of organized groups; trade guilds seem to be one of the more common occurrences of such groups in the archaeological and historical record. The organization of a collegium was subject to recognition by the state after the passage of the Lex Julia in the late 1^st century BCE, and at times the practice was banned or limited by the government. Collegia could be lawfully recognized groups or groups which did not have the recognition of the state and were operating without the blessing of the state. These groups could function as modern unions of sorts and could be used to lobby and exert political pressure on the state for furthering an agenda that benefitted the members enrolled in the collegium. Religious collegia were organizations related to specific priesthoods and the maintenance of cults or religious rites. Membership in one of these organizations (religious or civic) was not mutually exclusive to membership in other collegia.